Decreed Yours
by DuchessOfNothinghamshire
Summary: After a falling out with Ron, that leads to losing the friendship of Harry and the Weasleys, Hermione's life can't get much worse. But it does, with the Ministry passing a Marriage Law. She is forced to marry none other than Draco Malfoy, who is not without his own baggage. Rated M for language, mostly but we'll see.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi Guys, this is my first fic so please read and review. I need all the advice I can get.**

 **Disclaimer: Regrettably, I own nothing.**

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 **Tuesday, September 18th, 2001**

Today has been a decidedly shit day. There is no better way to describe the day. My fiancé dumped me; my best friends took his side, even though they swore they'd be neutral; I am now living in a crappy inn; I have no form of sustainable income, not to worry though, I played a key role in winning a war that took so much from me, including my parents, so was rewarded some extravagant titles and enough money to live five lifetimes comfortably but I still have nothing to do with myself.

Oh, and did I mention that in approximately 25 minutes, it'd be my birthday?

I sit at the bar in the Leaky Cauldron drinking firewhisky and reflecting on my day, when someone sits down next to me, pulling me out of my reverie. As he sits down, he orders a drink, which form the little fumble as he seats himself tells me its not his first.

"Well if it isn't the future Mrs Weasley."

"What do you want, Malfoy?"

"Oh, nothing just wondering why you're hear all alone when you have, and I quote, "the wedding of the century" to plan."

I turn to look at him now. The cold grey eyes and lips pulled back in a very familiar sneer, reminding me of our many run-ins in the Hogwarts hallways.

I shake my head and simply say, "Not anymore," as I turn back to my drink.

"Finally dump his sorry arse did you?"

I shake my head again.

"Well, you were too good for that Weasel anyway, you're better off," he says it's his usual sneer but there's something more to it that I just can't place. Sincerity? I don't know.

"What makes you say that?"

He rakes his gaze over me and begins, "Firstly and most obviously, you somehow got hot, you no longer have those beaver teeth and your hair is no longer double the size of you. You've obviously been maintaining your body and well, he is still freakishly tall, gangly and has, like the rest of his weasel family, horrendous _red_ hair.

I just gape at him. _Did he just complement me?_

But he pays me no mind and continues, "Secondly, you're far more intelligent than he ever was. He isn't intellectually capable of keeping up with you. I bet you have to constantly stop and explain what you mean to him and constantly have to dumb things down for him am I right?" Not waiting for a reply, he goes on, "Thirdly, you are an over-achiever, you constantly need to be the best at everything. That must bug him so much because he's just mediocre, at best. I bet he tried to convince you to quit your job when once you two got married and become a housewife like his dear mother. Which would be such a shame because really, and I will never admit to this ever again, you could do whatever the hell you want and be the best at it. Freer of house elves, Healer, Minister of Magic, Ruler of the whole bloody planet, if you wanted it you could take it. But back to my point, to say that you are out of Weasel's league is an understatement."

Over the short period of time that he was talking, I'm pretty sure my brain imploded at least 3 times. My eyes were saucers and my mouth hung open. It takes me a moment to get my mind in order. I quickly shut my mouth and narrow my eyes at him. He downed his drink and gestured to the barkeep to get him a refill.

What the fuck was Malfoy saying? Better question, why the fuck was Malfoy saying all of this? Even better question, how the fuck did Malfoy know and guess everything?

But like I said, my brain had shut down and I don't think the firewhisky was helping the matters either so the question I asked was:

"And who exactly _would_ be in my league?"

He looks at me with an amused expression.

"Now that's the real question isn't it? You need someone who is in par with you. Someone who is smart and provides you will provide you with intellectually stimulating conversation and can argue with you because, don't deny it, you love to argue your point. You need someone who as passionate as you, in bed and out."

I start to argue that he doesn't know what I'm like in bed but he gestures her to wait and keeps on going.

"Like I said before, you can do whatever you set your mind to and mainly, that's because you're so passionate about everything you do so obviously, that would transfer to your performance in bed as well. You also need someone who is confident and secure enough with his own masculinity and status so as not to be threatened by you."

He's done it again; he's blown my fucking mind.

"Great, do you know of anyone who fits that criteria? Because I have no clue where to look for this guy."

He shuts up at this. We both just sit and drink in silence for a while.

Looking around I notice the pub was relatively busy, considering the fact that it was so late on a Tuesday, but what drew my eyes was an old couple, sat at one of the booths along the wall, completely wrapped up in their own world, they seemed unaware of the hustle and bustle of the pub around them. They sat close together and were holding hands. The old lady was talking about something but what really struck me was the look on her husband's face, his love and adoration of the woman sitting net to him was evident. They looked like a pair of teenagers out on a first date but they weren't. That's when I realised what I wanted. I wanted forever and no matter what Ronald said when we were younger, he couldn't give me that.

I think about the man that Malfoy described to me. For some reason, though I had no idea who this guy was I'm suddenly excited at the prospect of meeting him. I distract myself from my shitty day by thinking about this mystery guy. Malfoy had been right about what I needed; I needed things that Ron couldn't give me.

Now who would've thought that on the worst night of my life Draco Malfoy would be the one who comforts me? I find myself thankful that he walked into the Leaky Cauldron.

I'm suddenly curious so I ask, "What are you doing here Malfoy?"

He looks at me with that familiar sneer plastered on his face.

"Well, I'm having spousal issues, shall we say? My wife has decided she wants a divorce. She just packed up and left. Left a note saying that she has supplied me with an heir and that she has fulfilled her end of our marriage contract and that her lawyers will get in touch me soon."

"You mean she just left you? What kind of mother leaves her kid behind?"

"Well, Astoria's not really the motherly type now, is she? She did her duty as a Pureblood wife and produced an heir. It is what was asked of her in the contract. I mean its okay that she doesn't have a motherly bone in her body but the least she could do was stick around. I, now not only run the family business, I also have _two_ little kids to take care of. Are you fucking kidding me? She—"

"She left behind _two_ kids?" I interrupt.

He pauses to take a sip of his drink and I can see him getting considerably angrier.

"Oh yes. She gave birth to twins. Not that I knew I was going to father twins of course. She came up to me one day, told me she was pregnant and that she was going to spend the rest of her pregnancy in France with her mother so that, and I quote, she doesn't get effected by the stress of carrying babies. She racked up quite the bill though from all the shopping she was doing in Paris and Milan and Copenhagen and even some weekends she was in London. And what did she buy? Designer dresses, shoes, bags, jewellery, and the like but most importantly, they were all for _her_ , nothing for the two babies growing inside her. GAH! You know what? I'm really glad she's leaving us because she did nothing but think about herself. "

"Oh shit, I'm really sorry," I say, "Here I am moping about my shitty relationships when you have actual things to be sad about. How the fuck does she expect you, a guy of, what? 21? To take care of two kids, alone? Oh, and I bet she gets a shit ton of money for once being married to you too, right?"

He just grunts in response. I'm angry for him. I don't understand it but I guess I just can't stand the nerve of Astoria Greengrass. We've fallen into another introspective silence.

"Well, Granger this has been fun but I need to get back to the manor, I have an early appointment with my lawyers," Malfoy says a while later.

"Good luck Malfoy, I hope everything works out for you and your kids."

"Thanks Granger," He says as he pays drops a pile of coins on the bar and leaves.

About halfway to the door, he turns back around and calls, "Oh! Granger?"

I turn and look at him.

"Happy Birthday," and he disappears into the rainy September night.

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 **A/N: I'm working on the next chapter so it should be up in a bit.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Tuesday, December 31** **st** **, 2002**

After that night at the bar, I decided to get my shit together. I was a strong, independent woman. So that month, when I overheard a conversation about Flourish and Blotts being sold, I put down a bid for it. After some negotiations with lawyers, I was the owner of Flourish and Blotts as of November 2001.

I had all this time (and money) on my hands that I was able to renovate the store and reorganize the books and add more to the collection. My business was thriving.

I was on my long road to rebuilding my life. I had two friends I could rely on. Luna, my one friend who had stuck by me through the Great Ronald Ordeal, as I have now come to calling it and Anya, an American witch who I met at a coffee shop in Diagon Alley soon after the war. I didn't need Harry or Ron, I oddly enough, felt free. With Luna and Anya, I didn't have to constantly explain myself. I didn't also have to keep mothering them and taking care of their lives on top of mine.

That isn't to say that I didn't miss them. There are days when I just need my two best friends to be with me but they made their choice, the least I can do is respect their decision to cut me out of their lives. On the few occasions that we've crossed paths in the last year, we have just pretended not to see each other and walked away. It hurts, a lot to know that two people who you went through so much with can just forget about you and move on without you but like I said, I was going to be strong and independent. I wasn't going to mope around. So I went out and made new friends, well mostly it was just Anya. She was a real lifesaver for me. She and Luna dragged me out of some really dark moments.

I had even plucked up the courage last month to go on a date, not that it went very far. I was disappointed, to say the least. That ideal guy that Malfoy had described to me had yet to show up in my life but was stuck in my mind.

On the whole though, my life was on the mend. That was, until I read the paper this morning.

 **Ministry Passes Marriage Law**

The Ministry of Magic has reinstated an ancient Marriage Law, which aims to repopulate British Wizarding society. The Law will affect all unmarried witches and wizards between the ages of 19 and 40. Those affected will receive letters from the Ministry with more information on how to proceed.

From what the Ministry has told us so far, they will provide every person with their ideal match and without a very good reason, this will be the person that they end up marrying. Every person will be given a date within the next three weeks when they are to come in to the Ministry and get examined. The aim is to match each couple based on physical compatibility as well as personality.

"We are aiming bring together families. We do not want a generation of children brought up in broken or loveless homes. While we cannot guarantee 100% compatibility, we are trying to get as close as possible," says Percy Weasley, Under Secretary to the Minister of Magic. "We understand that this is a rushed process but our world is at stake and we must do everything in out power to not let the horrors of our past to wipe us out completely." (Story continued on page 4)

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 **Thursday, January 2** **nd** **, 2003**

Dear Ms. Hermione Granger,

As you may be aware, the Ministry of Magic has decreed that all unmarried witches and wizards between the ages of 19 and 40 are to be married to a witch or wizard of the Ministry's choosing by the end of this calendar year.

The purpose of this Law is to repopulate the Magical Community and as such, all couples must have produced at least one offspring before July 2005, 18 months from the final date for marriage.

Please be aware that these matches will be made with blood status very much in mind. Our research shows that the squib birth rate within pureblood families is at an all time high. We want to bring this down by introducing fresh blood into the families of old. To do this, we will be matching purebloods with half-bloods and muggleborns only. Our sincere hope is that these matches will not only help rejuvenate the magical population but also end the blood prejudice that has run rampant in our community for the last few decades.

In order to pair you up compatibly, we are requiring everyone who is affected by this law to come in to the Ministry on the assigned date and time to complete a series of examinations to find your match. These tests include a physical as well as a personality test.

Your examination has been scheduled for: Thursday, January 23rd at 4 p.m.

Please present your self at the Front Desk of the Ministry of Magic at your assigned date and time. You will be guided on how to proceed upon arrival.

Best Wishes,

Elspeth Allsopp

Head of the Department of Crisis Aversion

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 **A/N:** **The next chapter will be more action, I promise. I just needed to set everything up.**

 **A/N2: So what'd you think? Let me know.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thursday, January 23rd, 2003**

I just finished my evaluation. The process was admittedly, well thought out. I was ushered into a waiting room; I was also given a long piece of parchment. It was mostly blank; save for the top portion, which I was told to fill out. It asked for the expected stuff like name, age, address, occupation, Hogwarts house, etc.

Then when my name was called, I was taken to a back room and was greeted with a very familiar sight: the Sorting Hat. It was genius really; the Sorting Hat was trusted to sort students into their Hogwarts houses based on their personality so it would be the ideal choice to match up couples based on the same qualities.

When I entered the room, a witch in her late 50s seated me on a stool. She tiredly took the piece of parchment and laid it out on a table to the side and set a quick-quotes quill on the ready. Then came over and placed the Hat on my head.

"Ahh Ms. Granger! How have you been?" The Hat said when it touched my head, "Oh, well that's not really all that pleasant, I didn't think he had it in him…Well, lets get to the task at hand… You are a strong one aren't you? … Passionate, intelligent, loyal, cunning… but not in the top shape at the moment, are we? ... You need someone like you, but not… to reignite that spark… Hmm, not Gryffindor… Ravenclaw, perhaps? ... Oh, A Slytherin would also do nicely… alas; your history with them is not ideal… Could you forget that? … Hmm, okay… Well, dear, I think we've got what we need from you. Do take care. Bye now."

And with that, the hat was off my head. I wasn't sure what to make of what the Hat had said but I figured it would be best to wait and not over-think on it right now. The witch went over to the table and the parchment. She glimpsed at the writing and raised a cinereous eyebrow at me but said nothing but "Please go back out to the waiting room Ms. Granger, a healer will call you for your physical tests soon."

The only problem I had with this whole process was all the waiting that I had to do. Around me in the waiting room were so many people just sitting and twiddling their thumbs. I was grateful that I never left home without a book with me for other wise, I would have completely wasted more than an hour and half, just waiting.

"Hermione Granger, please make your way to room 34," said the disembodied voice that had been calling people up, at last.

I quickly made my way to the stated room. There was no one in the room so I just sat down in the stool by the wall. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait long because in came a bubbly young witch who looked to be in her early 20s.

"Oh Merlin!" she exclaimed when she realized who I was, "You're Hermione Granger, heroine of the Second Wizarding War! But of course you knew that already. I'm sorry, you're kind of a hero of mine…um sorry"

I couldn't keep the amusement off my face as I listened to her gush. She quickly regained her professional attitude and continued with the test.

"So, anyway, my name is Healer Combs. Today, I'm going to take a blood sample and then we are going to do a standard fertility test. The results for both these tests will be available to you, should you want it. You will be notified if there is anything to worry about that we found. Should you be found infertile, the Ministry will subsidize your fertility treatment. So you needn't worry too much about that. Any questions?" It was obvious from the flow of her words that she had repeated them multiple times to the point where she seemed to be on autopilot.

When I shook my head at her question, she said "Lets get started shall we, please come over here and take a seat," She instructed, as she led me to a cushioned chair with a table in front of it.

"Place your arm on the table." I placed my right arm up on the table so that I wouldn't have to explain the "Mudblood" scar on my left fore arm. She didn't question it and drew the blood she needed.

"Okay then, could you lie down on the cot in the corner, we're going to do a couple of quick fertility tests. You'll feel some coolness but pay it no mind, it's perfectly normal."

As she performed the spells, I noticed the healer's face get increasingly more concerned.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" I ask worriedly.

"I know it's none of my business but have you been tortured by the Cruciatus Curse?"

"Um… yeah...during the war…"

"Well, that makes sense, I'm really sorry to have to say this but you will have to go through at least two rounds of the fertility treatment because at the moment your reproductive system is in quite the state. You should probably talk to your gynecological healer about it. I'm really sorry," and she really did look sorry.

"So what does this mean for me and my… betrothed?" I ask, taking the language straight from the Ministry's letter.

"You'll still have to go through with the Law but it'll probably take you at least 6 months after you start your treatment to be able to get pregnant. The regular round of the treatment is 10 weeks with a month between treatments. I'm just a general healer so I can't really advise you on the treatment but this is definitely a problem that you need to look into."

"Well, thank you for letting me know." I said awkwardly. What else do you say to someone who's just told you that you've been infertile for the last five years and will continue to be so for at least the next couple of months?

Sensing my discomfort, she says, "Well that's all for today. The results of your personality test and your blood test should be evaluated and returned to you in the first week of February. You can request the results of your blood test in three days, should you want it. If you have no further questions, you are free to leave."

"Thank you," I say as I pick my bag up off the floor and turn to the door.

"Have a good evening, Ms. Granger!" Healer Combs says behind me.

I smile a watery smile and leave, as everything that happened today, finally registered.

Practically running, I head out the waiting room, across the main atrium of the Ministry to the apparition spot.

Once home, I broke down. The memories came flooding back of the night at the manor, of Ron and his terrible lies, of Harry and Ginny not believing me, of them and the Weasleys, who'd all told me that I was family, abandoning me. I remembered all of the things that had been taken away from me: my best friends, my parents' memory of me, my parents even after they had no recollection of me and were half way across the world from me, my surrogate family and now, I find out my ability to get pregnant was also taken from me? I don't know why but I felt the need to mourn my loss and so I did. Knowing full well that I could and would get better.

I cried myself to sleep that night, right there on the floor of my flat by the warmth of the fireplace.

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 **A/N: Woah! I'm on a roll! This is just flowing out.**

 **A/N2: I seriously want to deliver some top quality writing to you guys so if you have anything to say/add/point out, please do.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Friday, January 24th, 2003**

I was walking down Diagon Alley, toward Flourish and Blotts in the late morning when I heard the sobbing, more like sniffling. I looked around and almost immediately found the source: a little girl with white-blond hair no more than three years old. She was standing right in front of my store. There were no adults by her. She seemed lost. I walked up to her and crouched beside her.

"Hey sweetie, is everything okay?" I asked. She looked up at me with watery, grey eyes and shook her head.

"Are you lost?" to which, she nodded.

"Sweetheart, do you have a name?"

"Ly-ra," she said childishly.

"My name's Hermione but you can call me Mia, like all my friends."

She smiled a weak smile and nodded her understanding.

"Who are you with, Lyra?"

"My Daddy," she whispered quietly.

"When was the last time you saw your daddy?"

"In da sto,"

"In the store, hmm? Was he going in or coming out?"

"Out."

Well, that certainly made things harder. The father could have gone in any direction or inside any of the stores. I decided the safest option was to take Lyra back into the store and ask if any of the employees saw Lyra and her father together. So I propose that to her.

"Lyra, why don't we go inside the shop and ask if anyone saw which way your daddy went? Does that sound like a plan?"

She nodded once again. Well apparently, she's a quiet kid.

I led her into the store and to the playpen by the children's section.

"Lyra why don't you go play in the play. While I go and ask around for your daddy okay?"

She nodded and shuffled in to the playpen, I watched her for a bit to make sure she was comfortable.

She looked vaguely familiar but I just couldn't place whom she looked like. I wracked my brain; she definitely had some very unique features, the platinum hair, grey eyes, and pale skin. As I listed out her attributes in my mind, I realized whom she looked like. It's still just a hunch though, I needed confirmation.

I looked around the store to see who was working. I noticed Thomas at the register by the exit. He would have most likely to seen everyone who entered and exited the store. I headed over to him. He waved as he saw me approach.

"Hey, Thomas! Did you by any chance see a man with that kid over there?" I asked pointing to Lyra in the playpen.

"Yeah! a guy walked in here about half an hour ago with that little girl and another little boy. The little boy started kicking up a fuss about something and was on the verge of throwing a real tantrum. The quickly guy paid for his books and left quickly with the two kids. He left about... twenty minutes back?"

"Describe him to me," I ordered.

With a raised eyebrow at my unusual brusqueness, Thomas described the man to me, "Well, he looked about your age, just over 6 feet, white blond hair, incredibly pale, dressed in black. Oh! And he was muttering on about someone named Astrid? Astoria? or was it... I'm actually not sure…"

I was right. With a satisfied grin because, well, I was right, I say, "Thanks, Thomas! I think I know exactly who her father is. I'll send him a patronus. I'm going to stay with her for a bit and then I promised Anya lunch. I know I said we'd do it this morning but can go over the new shipments after Lunch instead?"

He assented and I walked back over to Lyra. I conjured up my patronus and sent the otter off in search of Draco Malfoy, with instructions to tell him to come to Flourish and Blotts because his daughter was there. I watched as the otter glided out the store and into the sea of people in Diagon Alley.

"Hey sweetheart," I said to catch Lyra's attention. "I've sent for your daddy. He should be here soon okay?"

She came over to me and hugged my legs. "Tank you Mia!" she said.

"Anytime, sweetheart. Why don't I read you a book while we wait, hmm? This is a bookstore after all."

She nodded and we walked over to the children's book collection.

"What kinds of books do you like?" I asked.

"I like books bout dwagons," she said as she picked out one of the more popular children's books, _Denny the Dragon Learns to Fly._

We go over to the Den, one of my personal favorite additions to Flourish and Blotts, a corner of the store with big, plush sofas and a roaring fireplace that gave it a warm, comfy vibe. I chose one of the sofas facing the door, so that I would see when Malfoy came into the store. Lyra climbed on to my lap and I opened up the book in front of the both of us and began to read the fantastical story to her.

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 **A/N: I know that this is a relatively short chapter. The next chapter is going to be the same day from Malfoy's perspective.**

 **A/N2: As always, let me know what you think.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Friday, January 24th, 2003- Draco POV**

My life had become an absolute shit storm over the last few weeks. It all began with my nanny up and quitting, she said, and I quote, "Your two little brats are too much for me to handle." And she walked out, just like that. No warning, nothing. I had hired her as soon as I got custody of the twins and I had counted on her staying for at least a few years.

It was nearly the holidays; so thankfully, my mother had come back to England to spend time with her grandkids. She was more than willing to babysit during the day while I was at work. So that was the kids taken care of.

Then the Ministry announced the stupid Marriage Law. Even though I was once married and have two kids, apparently this fucking law applies to me too so I have to go over to the Ministry this evening to get evaluated. I considered fighting this, I think everyone to whom this law applies to considered fighting it until I realized something. Between work and the kids, I have had no time to date and this process seems to be really trying to bring people together for life not just to make babies. So hopefully, this will all work out.

Anyway, my mother went back to her villa in the South of France last night, so I no longer had a baby sitter for the kids. As much as I love Leo and Lyra, they are a handful. I had taken the next couple of weeks off from work so I could look after the kids and hopefully interview, hire and train a new nanny. Until then, I was on my own.

So my first day alone with the kids was an undeniable failure. So here's what happened.

We needed to go into Diagon Alley today, to get a present for a birthday party the kids were attending this evening. They however, were more interested in playing at home and were constantly running away and hiding making a game of it. At around 10, in the morning, I had finally managed to wrangle Leo and Lyra into fresh clothes and had managed to feed them. They were impossible, especially in the mornings when they are so full of energy.

We got to Diagon Alley and we walked around for a bit. Leo suggested we buy Antonio (the birthday kid) a toad from the Magical Menagerie, while Lyra wanted to buy him a cat, building from Leo's idea. We finally decided that we would go into Flourish and Blotts and buy Antonio a few books. I let the kids pick out the books, cause I had no real opinion on the matter. I let them browse for about ten minutes while I took a look at the new releases. When I came back, I noticed that Leo had amassed a pile of approximately 15 books.

"Leo, buddy, you have to pick one book. We can't buy all of these for Antonio."

"But Daddy! I wan all of dem."

"Pick _one_ , Leo," I said sternly.

"NO!" Leo yelled back at me and I knew that a tantrum was on its way.

"Lyra!" I called out, "Bring _one_ of your books over, we're going."

I picked up one of the books in Leo's pile and took the book that Lyra handed. I headed over to the register. Leo started bawling over the books that had been left behind so I snatched him up into my arms and paid for the two books. All the while, I was cursing Astoria for passing on her bratty-ness, because there was _no way_ this came from me. I tried to calm Leo down while the cashier got the change and packed the books up.

I quickly left the store with a bawling Leo in my arms and thought that Lyra was right behind me. Leo calmed down after like 10 minutes and having extracted a promise from me to buy him ice cream after we ate lunch, he was rather subdued. Only when we got to the restaurant, was it that I noticed Lyra was no longer with us. I was freaking out.

I was still carrying Leo and I backtracked our path to the restaurant, up Diagon Alley, all the while shouting Lyra's name in a desperate attempt to find my baby girl. I was such a shitty father! I couldn't even keep track of my two kids. How the hell was I supposed to find Lyra? It had been at least 20 minutes since we'd left Flourish and Blotts, when a silvery otter patronus stopped in front of me.

"Malfoy," said the otter in a female voice, "I found your daughter, Lyra outside by Flourish and Blotts. She looked lost. I brought her inside the store and am keeping her entertained whilst we wait for you to pick her up."

I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that my baby was safe. We headed back towards Flourish and Blotts. Leo started squirming around so I let him walk by my side and I held on to his hand, having learnt my lesson. We got to the store and I was looking around frantically, the guy behind the register caught my eye and pointed me towards the couches in the back corner.

Relief flooded over me as I saw Lyra. I took in her surroundings. My daughter was sitting on the lap of a gorgeous brunette, who was reading to her. This must have been the person who sent the Patronus. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a bun with a few curls falling loose and framing her face. I couldn't make out too much as Lyra was blocking most of her face but her skin was peaches-and-cream and looked gloriously soft. However, what I was most shocked by was that she seemed to have captivated Lyra's attention with whatever story she was reading out. I couldn't make out the words but there was a soothing murmur from her voice.

While I was watching the brunette reading to my daughter, Leo saw Lyra.

"Lyra!" he called, drawing both the girls' attention away from the book.

My jaw dropped, the brown haired beauty was none other than know-it-all extraordinaire, Hermione Granger.

"Daddy! Leo!" Lyra shrieked back, as she slid down Granger's lap and bound over to us and wrapped Leo up in a hug. It was so adorable and I could see from Granger's expression that she thought so too.

Lyra dragged Leo and me over to Granger and said, "Mia, dis my bwader. His names Leo, and dis my daddy," she then turned to Leo and me and said, "Daddy, Leo, dis Mia. She my fwend, she wead to me."

"It's nice to meet you, Leo," Granger said. She then looked over to me, "Malfoy, it's been a while."

"Yes, Granger," I nod, "It has been."

My mind flashed back to the night Astoria left and our conversation at the bar. I remembered all that I told her about her perfect guy. I would never have admitted it but I had spent a lot of time in Hogwarts, mesmerized by her. Then I remembered how easily I had been willing to open up to her. I had been so confused as to why I had said all those things. I had never done such a thing with anybody. I had had to hold my tongue that night so I wouldn't willingly give her ammunition against me, in the form of my insecurities about being left with the twins.

Leo and Lyra had gone off to the playpen by the children's section, dragging Granger with them and I had unconsciously followed after them. I watched them play for a bit, amazed by how natural Granger was with both my kids. I finally realized I ought to thank Granger for returning my little girl to me.

"Thank you, Granger," I said softly, meaning every word. "Truly, I was losing my mind when I couldn't find her around."

"It really wasn't a big deal, I heard her crying on my way into work and did what any decent human being would do," She said brushing it off. "Is everything okay? Thomas was saying that you were having some trouble with Leo as you were leaving."

I looked at her, surprised by her question. I had expected her to rub it into my face that I couldn't take care of my own kids or at least some snide remark that hinted at it. Instead, I saw genuine concern written on her face.

"Yeah…" I said cautiously, "Leo was just about to throw a tantrum, it's a rather common occurrence, I've just never had to deal with it while out, just the three of us before, and I guess I just lost track of Lyra in the process of calming him down…" I'd done it; I'd confessed some kind of weakness to Hermione Granger. What was it about this woman that made me want to tell her everything?

"Hey, you're still getting used to taking care of the two of them. These things happen, ask any parent, they're bound to have gone through a similar situation," she said patting my arm, soothingly.

"Thank you, again Granger. I need to get some lunch into those two before I head to the Ministry for that stupid evaluation."

"You too? But you already have kids, why would the Law apply to you too?"

"Beats me, but my lawyers have told me that it isn't worth fighting this one and I really don't have the time or the energy to so, yeah I'm just going with it."

"Yeah, I took a look at the law and it's all iron clad… Fair warning though, there's a lot of waiting around involved so take a book or something to do," she advised.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," I smiled and then walked over to the twins.

"Come on guys, let's get some lunch before you have to go over to Antonio's house. Say goodbye."

"Bye, Mia!" the twins yelled as we left the store.

"Bye, guys!" Granger called back, and for some reason I found myself hoping I'd see her soon.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the really long wait time. I've been traveling.**

 **A/N2: Review. Let me know what you think.**


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